At the Zhuhai Airshow on November 9, 2024, China's Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) unveiled a significant rebranding of its ARJ21 regional jet as the C909, signaling a strategic move to align its product lineup with its aspirations to challenge the dominance of Airbus and Boeing in the global aviation market. This rebranding effort, tagged with the English slogan "Old friend, New look" and a Chinese slogan translating to "meeting an old friend for the first time," represents COMAC's push towards creating a cohesive and competitive family of aircraft models.
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The ARJ21, now rebranded as the C909 was China's first jet engine-powered commercial aircraft to enter service back in 2016. The aircraft has been operational with multiple Chinese airlines and has also made inroads with Indonesian carrier TransNusa, marking COMAC's first venture outside of China in commercial aviation. The C909, with its new branding, features modifications aimed at reducing weight, resistance, and noise, thereby potentially lowering operating costs, which could appeal more to airlines looking for efficiency. This rebranding aligns the C909 with COMAC's naming convention, where the '9' series represents its commercial aircraft family, starting with the C919 narrowbody jet, which has been in service since 2023. The C909's design now echoes the aesthetic of the C919 with its blue tail featuring the "C909" in white, creating a visual continuity that suggests a family of products, much like Boeing and Airbus do with their respective jet families.
The move comes at a time when both Airbus and Boeing are facing supply chain challenges and production delays. COMAC is positioning itself not just as a domestic player but as a viable global alternative in the commercial aviation sector. This marketing push was highlighted by the joint display of the C909 alongside the C919 at the Zhuhai Airshow, an event that garners international attention and underscores COMAC's growing ambition on the world stage.
While the C909 has not yet penetrated Western markets significantly, this rebranding and the enhancements made to the aircraft could be part of a broader strategy to gain international certifications and attract a global clientele. COMAC's efforts are seen as both a challenge to the established Western duopoly and a testament to China's push for technological self-sufficiency in high-tech manufacturing sectors. However, industry analysts caution that while COMAC has made strides, achieving significant market share internationally will require overcoming certification hurdles, proving reliability, and ensuring competitive pricing and performance against established giants.